Miscommunication can lead to serious surgical errors

When surgeons and medical professionals miscommunicate in the OR, it could
result in patient injury.

Every year, millions of people enter into New York operating rooms in order
to have minor or major medical procedures performed. While the majority
of these procedures have positive end results, there are a number of instances
where patients fall victim to surgical errors. In fact, a study released
by John Hopkins University reported that at least 4,000
surgical mistakes occur each year or approximately 80 errors each week, according to Medical
News Today. The actual number of operating room errors is suspected to
be much greater, however, when taking into account the surgical errors
that go unreported or even undiscovered. Not only can surgical mistakes
lead to permanent injury and dysfunction, they can also result inpatient
death in some cases.

Communication errors

One of the most common causes of surgical mistakes is miscommunication
between physicians, operating room technicians and patients. The operating
room can harbor a chaotic environment with several surgeons and operating
room technicians attending to the patient and each other. If the operating
surgeon should misunderstand or mishear a crucial piece of information,
it could lead to a disastrous incident for the patient.

For example, the operating room staff must account for each piece of equipment
prior to suturing up the patient. Miscommunication in locating these items
could cause staff to inadvertently leave a spongy gauze pad or some other
item behind inside a patient's surgical site. This could lead to severe
infection, more surgeries and even death.

Ensuring proper communication

In order to ensure proper communication takes place, surgeons should meet
with each patient prior to entering the operating room, according to American
Medical News. During this time, surgeons may want to verify the patient's
information, allergies, what procedure is being performed and other important
information. In addition to these details, some surgeons will mark the
actual operating site, such as the left knee, to reduce the risk of
operating on the wrong body part.

Legal representation may be necessary

If you suffer from long-term trauma and/or significant pain as a result
of a physician's negligence, you may want to consider speaking to
a personal injury attorney regarding your legal rights and options. You
may have been forced to endure additional painful procedures as a result
of a preventable medical error. As a victim of medical malpractice in
New York, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical expenses,
lost wages from work and psychological trauma.

The information on this website is for general information purposes only.
Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual
case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt
or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.

x

⚠

Your browser is out of date. To get the full experience of this website,
please update to most recent version.